


Infidel

by akire_yta



Series: prompt ficlets [673]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Crusades, Era Appropriate Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:35:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25344796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akire_yta/pseuds/akire_yta
Summary: anon requested "Joe x Nicky, falling in love during the Crusades" (also hi first TOG fic!)
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: prompt ficlets [673]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/53353
Comments: 5
Kudos: 89





	Infidel

1) Around them is death, screaming and crying and stinking and without honour. Niccolò feels like this is punishment, a fate worse than anything the old priests’ threatened, to be stuck here in the dirt of Infidel lands, his entire belly on fire, smelling blood and shit and endless, ceaseless death.

His killer is just out of reach, and Niccolò feels a final desperate need for one last kick, one last handful of sand before he goes to purgatory and this monster goes to Paradise. One last act to say he, Niccolò di Genova, lived and died with honour and pride.

His gauntlet scrabbles in the coarse sand, but before he can find the energy to throw, his killer groans, curls up in a foetal ball and says something in a tongue Niccolò was ordered not to learn.

The other man’s pained roll turns him to face Niccolò. Niccolò gasps from more than pain as beautiful eyes, like the eyes of the angels in the frescoes on the walls of the church where he was young, blink and focus. It’s like being seen for the first time.

The pain is easing, as they stare at each other under the hellish sun. Niccolò has no idea why; was this purgatory? Was this hell?

Was this a mistake and he’s been taken to his victim’s Paradise?

2) Niccolò folds his Crusader’s gambeson slowly, carefully. The sword callouses on his hands catch on the embroidery of his cross.

He rode on Crusade in holy war. He was a solider, and a good Christian knight. Now Niccolò has no idea what he is.

His belly is smooth and unscarred, yet still he has callouses. He knows he can’t go back; he was a dead man walking, and the priests only accept that kind of behaviour from their saviour.

Niccolò knows he isn’t any kind of saviour.

The knock is light on the heavy earthen walls. Niccolò looks up, instinct still having him reach for his sword even as his heart tries to slow the motion.

The man he killed had taken him here, led him to a sanctuary the priests swore these infidels never ever had. Now he has a plate of food in his hands, and though they have few words between them, his gesture is clear.

Niccolò gently puts down his gambeson and sits with his enemy to eat.

3) The city is on fire. Niccolò watches the flames lick the emerging stars and feels only grief.

This was always the plan; take the city for God, or burn it for the devil. In another life, Niccolò may even have been the one to set the flames.

Now, he’s dead in the eyes of all but the Lord and his friend next to him. Yusef makes a small noise of pain and grief, his eyes fixed on the city in the valley below. 

Niccolò can hear the popping and screaming, the horrible noises of the inferno as the fire scrubbed this place clean. Their words are still few but Niccolò knows now the set of those shoulders, the stiff line of his neck. Moving slowly, still unsure how Yusef feels about him, Niccolò slips his bare fingers into Yusef’s.

There’s an intake of breath, a sigh. Then, slowly, eyes never leaving the burning city, Yusef rests his head on Niccolò ‘s shoulder.

And for the first time since he died, Niccolò says a tiny prayer of thank you, thank you, thank you to his Lord.


End file.
